Networks in Motion drives half of LBS carrier revenue in Q3

By Giselle Abramovich

December 4, 2007

Location-based services grew a total of 58 percent

Wireless navigation and local search company Networks in Motion led the location-based services industry in the United States with a 53 percent share of revenue from the top four U.S. carriers in the third quarter, according to Nielsen Mobile’s Mobile Application Report.

Location-based services (LBS) grew a total of 58 percent, up from a 51.4 percent growth from the same period last year. Nielsen tracked LBS, weather applications, chat, community and personal organization tools.

“Unlike other market studies that focus on the number of phones shipping with an LBS application, [this study] focuses on the heart of the matter – real subscriptions from real people,” said Doug Antone, president/CEO of Networks in Motion, in a statement.

“As mobile phones and smartphones become GPS-enabled [and] consumers continue to become aware of the convenience of navigation on their phones, the LBS market will continue to be an important source of revenue for carriers,” he said.

Networks in Motion powers AAA Mobile, Verizon Wireless and Sprint.

Navigation applications are the leading LBS applications in the US, the study found.

Networks in Motion increased 5 percent in the third quarter, securing 31.8 percent of carrier revenue from all mobile data applications. The company claims to lead other mobile application publishers including TeleNav, Garmin and MapQuest.